MGM Home Entertainment Warning Screens
MGM Home Entertainment was founded in 1973 originally known as "MGM Home Video" by releasing its film and television libraries on video. In 1979, MGM joined forces with CBS Video Enterprises, the home video division of the CBS Television Network, and established "MGM/CBS Home Video", which released its first VHS batch (consisting of 16 MGM titles and 8 CBS Video titles) in October 1980. MGM/CBS Home Video was later renamed to "MGM/UA Home Video" in 1982 after CBS ended its venture with MGM since MGM acquired United Artists a year earlier. In 1986, after MGM's pre-1986 library (also including most of the pre-1950 Warner Bros. Pictures library, a fraction of some UA material, and most US rights to the RKO Radio Pictures library (although RKO retains the copyrights to their films)), was acquired by Ted Turner and forming "Turner Entertainment Co.", MGM/UA Home Video signed a deal with Turner to continue distributing the pre-1986 MGM and the pre-1948 Warner Bros. libraries for video release. In 1990, after MGM was purchased by Pathé, MGM/UA signed a deal with Warner Home Video to have them distribute its titles exclusively on video. In 1995 this division was renamed to "MGM/UA Home Entertainment" and also launched "MGM/UA Family Entertainment". In 1997, MGM/UA began releasing its titles on DVD, just like every other major studio, managed to release over 30 titles from the Turner catalog on DVD (it was due to their video distribution deal) until it was transferred to Warner Home Video in 1999 (after MGM ended their distribution deal with Warner Bros.) and folded Orion Pictures with all its owned-library into this company. Around 1997, the UA name was dropped renaming it as "MGM Home Entertainment". Following MGM's acquisition by the Sony-led consortium in 2005, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment began distributing the MGM library on home video until May 31, 2006, when MGM shifted most of its home entertainment output to 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment for worldwide release. TCFHE's worldwide distribution deal distributing the MGM library was expected to expire in September 2011 and was to revert back to SPHE, but it was later extended to end until July 2016. These are the warnings used by the company. USA/Canada Warning Screens 1979-1981, 1984 MGM-CBS_Warning.jpg| The MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) / CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) warning scroll has the word WARNING in cream color and in bold sans-serif... and also has the details in most caps, except the word "and" in lowercase letters. This warning scroll has been used for CBS/Fox Video (now 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment), especially for CBS and Lorimar eras, including S.O.B. (1981) from 1984. As seen on VHS and Betamax tapes, such as, The Wizard of Oz (1939), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Westworld (1973), The Streetfighter (1974), That's Entertainment! (1974), Demon Seed (1977), The Goodbye Girl (1977), Coma (1978), Carny (1980), Fame (1980), Clash of the Titans (1981), S.O.B. (1981) and others. 1981-1990, 1991, 1992 MGM-UA_Warning_1.jpg| The MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) / UA (United Artists) warning scroll has the word "WARNING" in red color and white outline parets between two white lines. The warning scroll details are in white color by left alignment. The warning scroll sequence fades from bottom to top. The MGM/UA Home Video warning screen has been used for Nova Home Video, Junior Home Video, Wood Knapp Video and MGM/CBS Home Video. Originally seen on MGM/CBS releases in the early 1980s, this later came to MGM/UA releases. As seen on VHS, Betamax, CED Videodiscs and Laser Videodiscs, such as The Wizard of Oz (1939), Adam's Rib (1949), North By Northwest (1959), West Side Story (1961), Jack the Giant Killer (1961/1962), Stellaluna (1984), The Pink Panther (1963/1964), A Shot In the Dark (1964), A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966), In the Heat of the Night (1967), The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1966/1967), Dr. No (1962), From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), Inspector Clouseau (1968), Hang 'Em High (1968), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), H*** Boats (1970), Diamonds are Forever (1971), Live and Let Die (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Bugs Bunny Superstar (1975), That's Entertainment! -- Part II (1976), The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976), Carrie (1976), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978), Moonraker (1979), He Knows You're Alone (1980), Raging Bull (1980), True Confessions (1981), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Clash of the Titans (1981), Trail of the Pink Panther (1982), Victor/Victoria (1982), Poltergeist (1982), The Secret of N.I.M.H. (1982), Octopussy (1983), Curse of the Pink Panther (1983), A Christmas Story (1983), WarGames (1983), 2010: The Year We Made Contact (1984), Red Dawn (1984), Hercules II: The Adventures of Hercules (1985), Year of the Dragon (1985), 9 1/2 Weeks (1986), Youngblood (1986), Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986), Running Scared (1986), Fatal Beauty (1987), Moonstruck (1987), Real Men (1987), Spaceballs (1987), Betrayed (1988), Child's Play (1988), Poltergeist III (1988), Pumpkinhead (1988), Rain Man (1988), Leviathan (1989), License to Kill (1989), Little Monsters (1989) and Road House (1989). 1990-2005 MGM-UA_Warning_2.jpg|DVD warning (prototype 1) vlcsnap-2015-02-01-12h42m10s64.png|DVD warning (prototype 2) NxvXpEnIyPv8DFZDIPYZpQ26291.jpg|DVD Warning The MGM/UA Home Video/'MGM Home Entertainment' warning screen has the word "WARNING" in red color by the shadow and the white details in all caps. This warning screen has been used for New Line Home Entertainment and HBO Home Entertainment. On all MGM releases from the era (with the exception of the 2002 NBC.com exclusive VHS of It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, which had no warning at all; however, the 2003 VHS of that same movie had this warning). Also seen on New Line Home Video releases from 1992 to 1997, as well as HBO DVD releases and some WarnerVision/KidVision releases. The final MGM releases to use this logo are VHS's distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. This warning screen was first used on the original 1990 VHS release of All Dogs Go To Heaven. Final Note: When Fox acquired MGM's home entertainment rights in 2006, it went to use the warnings from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. International Warning Screens United Kingdom 1980-1986 MGM Home Entertainment UK Warning 1a.png MGM Home Entertainment UK Warning 1b.png MGM Home Entertainment UK Warning 1c.png MGM Home Entertainment UK Warning 1d.png MGM Home Entertainment UK Warning 2a.png MGM Home Entertainment UK Warning 2b.png MGM Home Entertainment UK Warning 2c.png MGM Home Entertainment UK Warning 2d.png MGM Home Entertainment UK Warning 2e.png Warning: On a black background is white text fading in: This video cassette is a genuine first generation copy produced on behalf of and with the approval of MGM/UA HOME VIDEO Then it fades out and goes to a warning scroll. On the same black background, we start with the word "WARNING" appearing in yellow, followed up by white generic text using the same font. Finally, at the end, a yellow message appears on the bottom, saying: This prohibition may be enforced by legal action. Variant: There is an early version of the warning where the "Genuine first generation copy" notice is omitted, no underline on "WARNING", and the yellow message is in white. This can be seen on the MGM/CBS pre-cert release of Clash of the Titans. FX/SFX: The scroll up of the warning on the second screen. Music/Sounds: None. Availability: Scarce. The easiest find is on the pre-cert VHS of The Ice Pirates and the 1985 UK VHS of The Wizard of Oz. Scare Factor: None. 1986-1995 MGM Home Entertainment UK Warning 3a.png MGM Home Entertainment UK Warning 3b.png MGM Home Entertainment UK Warning 3c.png MGM Home Entertainment UK Warning 3d.png MGM Home Entertainment UK Warning 3e.png Nickname: "World's Longest Copyright Warning Screen" Warning: On a blue background, the following yellow text is typed in: This video cassette is a genuine first generation copy produced on behalf of and with the approval of MGM/UA HOME VIDEO It then scrolls up very slowly. The same is repeated for the next four blocks of text, however when the last block finishes typing in the warning fades out. FX/SFX: The typing in and scrolling up of each block of text. Music/Sounds: None. Availability: Rare. Seen on the UK rental release of Cry for the Strangers, Munchies, and the Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission. Scare Factor: None. 1986-2000 MGM Home Entertainment UK Warning 4a.png MGM Home Entertainment UK Warning 4b.png MGM Home Entertainment UK Warning 4c.png MGM Home Entertainment UK Warning 4d.png MGM Home Entertainment UK Warning 4e.png Warning: There is yellow text on a blue background. On the first screen, it reads: This video cassette is a genuine first generation copy produced on behalf of and with the approval of MGM/UA HOME VIDEO Then it transitions via flip effect to the next screen with the same blue background. We see "WARNING" at the top with warning text (which has a quote at the beginning) underneath it, also in yellow. Then it flips to another screen with the second portion of the text, and to another with the third and last portion of it. Finally, it flips to the fifth screen, which reads: Any such unauthorised action could give rise to civil or criminal proceeding." Variants: *Sometimes all the screens were stacked on one another and they scroll up on a blue background. *On later tapes, the warning was in an Arial font and it looks enhanced. FX/SFX: The flipping of each screen. The scroll up of the text in said variant. Music/Sounds: None. Availability: Seen on British MGM/UA tapes of the era. Examples include Spaceballs, Terror Train, Thelma and Louise, Red Corner, The Man in the Iron Mask, Red Corner, Get Shorty, Goldeneye, Of Mice and Men and Tomorrow Never Dies. The scrolling variant appears on 2001: A Space Odyssey. Scare Factor: None. 2000-2005 See 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Warning Screens for details. Australia 1980-1990 See PBV/CEL Warning Screen for details. 1990-2000 See WCI/Warner Home Video Warning Screens for details. 2000-2005 See 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Warning Screens for details. Category:Warning Screen Category:FBI Warning Screen Category:MGM Warning Screen Category:Defuncted Warning Screens Category:Current Warning Screens Category:New Line Cinema Warning Screens Category:WCI/Warner Home Video Screen Category:MGM Holdings